“If we fail to prepare, we should prepare to fail,” said health secretary Wes Streeting as he announced the UK will create the world’s first “real-time surveillance system” to assess the threat of future pandemics. 

This morning (November 5), Labour announced a partnership between the Government, Genomics England, the UK Biobank and life sciences company Oxford Nanopore to harness the latter’s technology and create an “early warning system” for future pandemics and biological threats.

Oxford Nanopore’s long read sequencing technology is used to analyse genes and pathogens to provide quick diagnoses for cancers as well as infectious diseases, said the Department of Health and Social Care, adding that it will be used in NHS England’s respiratory metagenomics programme to match sufferers of severe respiratory infections with an appropriate treatment within six hours.

“This novel and world-leading application, developed in partnership with the NHS, will allow potential outbreaks of bacterial or viral diseases to be monitored alongside antimicrobial resistance across the country,” said the DHSC, explaining that sequenced data will be shared with the UK Health Security Agency.

A trial at St Thomas’ Hospital in London will be followed by a roll-out to up to 30 NHS sites “to address the current time lag between new pathogens emerging in the UK and action being taken to both treat affected patients and prevent their spread,” said the Department.

Mr Streeting commented: “Our NHS was already on its knees when the pandemic struck, and it was hit harder than any other comparable healthcare system.

“We cannot let history repeat itself. That’s why this historic partnership with Oxford Nanopore will ensure our world-leading scientists have the latest information on emerging threats at their fingertips.”

Oxford Nanopore CEO Gordon Sanghera said: “The UK has a remarkable life science ecosystem, and we are delighted to be working more closely with the UK government and the NHS in this collaboration.

“The UK has a remarkable life science ecosystem, and we are delighted to be working more closely with the UK government and the NHS in this collaboration.”